Avoid calling 999 during NHS strike

Residents are asked to help ambulance workers during a ‘challenging’ day when NHS staff strike later this week.

South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) has asked people to only call 999 in an emergency, especially during the strike on Thursday, January 29.

“We will continue to respond to life-threatening emergencies but other less serious calls may experience delays,” said a SECAmb spokesperson.

“With this in mind we are asking the public for their help by remembering that 999 should only be used in an emergency.

“While we expect the day to be challenging, we have robust contingency plans in place to ensure we can provide a safe and responsive service to those people who need us.

“These include increasing our ability to provide clinical advice in our Emergency Operations Centres, utilising our own response capable managers and increasing the support available from our volunteer community first responders.

“We will continue to be in close talks with union representatives to ensure that the impact on patients is kept to a minimum and thank the public for their ongoing support.”